- 6
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pound (2 cups) fresh coarse-ground corn masa for tortillas or 1 3/4 cups dried masa harina for tortillas mixed with 1 cupplus 2 tablespoons hot water
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 small (about 7 ounces total) zucchini, ends trimmed and coarsely shredded on the large holes of a box grater
- 1/2 cup finely chopped ham
- 1/2 cup watercress leaves, roughly chopped, plus a few whole sprigs for garnish
- 1/2 cup finely sliced green onion, green part only
- 1 1/2 About 1 1/2 cups salsa (I prefer the Roasted Tomato-Green Chili Salsa)
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preparing the batter: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter with 1 teaspoon salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you addd the masa (fresh or reconstituted)in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the chicken broth, zucchini, ham, watercress and green onions and beat just long enough to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
2. Setting up the steamer: Set up a steamer large enough to accommodate a 9-inch round cake pan or casserole dish, such as an Asian stack steamer, a Mexican tamal steamer or an improvised setup created by setting a wire rack on four coffee or custard cups in a large kettle. Pour an inch or so of water into the bottom of the steamer and heat to a boil.
3. Steaming the tamal: Scrape the batter into a 9-inch round cake pan or casserole dish. Cover the top lightly with parchment paper or buttered foil (this prevents condensation from dripping onto the butter.) Place the tamal on the rack, cover the steamer tightly and cover over a constant medium heat for 1 1/2 hours. Watch carefully to make sure that all the water doesn't boil away and, to keep the steam steady, pour boiling water into the pot when more is necessary.
4. Serving the tamal: Cut the tamal into wedges and place on warm serving plates. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of salsa over and around each serving, garnish with watercress sprigs and serve.
Working ahead: The tamal batter (without the vegetables and ham) can be beaten up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered. Once the vegetables and ham have been added to the batter, you'l need to steam the tamal within hours. The finished tamal, however, can be made a day or two ahead, since it reheats beautifully in the steamer or microwave oven.